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Consumer Expenditures for the Atlanta Metropolitan Area: 2012-2013

Consumer units in the Atlanta, Ga., metropolitan area spent an average of $50,782 per year in 2012-2013, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that this figure was similar to the $51,299 average expenditure level for a typical household in the United States. Although households in the Atlanta area spent about the same as the U.S. average, they allocated their dollars significantly different in 2 of the 8 major categories. For example, expenditures for healthcare, which accounted for 6.2 percent of a typical Atlanta household budget, were significantly lower than the national average of 7.0 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

Housing in the Atlanta metropolitan area averaged $16,975 annually and was the largest expenditure category, accounting for 33.4 percent of an Atlanta area household’s total budget, similar to the national average of 33.2 percent. (See tables 1 and 2.) Overall, 8 of the 18 published metropolitan areas had expenditure shares for housing significantly above the U.S. average. One area, Detroit, had a share for housing that was significantly below the U.S. average. (See chart 2.) Housing expenditure shares among the 18 areas ranged from 39.9 percent in Miami to 30.0 percent in Detroit. (See table 3.)

The majority of housing expenditures in Atlanta went toward shelter, 57.9 percent, which includes mortgage interest, property taxes, repairs, and rent, among other items; nationwide, 58.6 percent of the housing budget was allocated to shelter. (See table A.) Utilities, fuels, and public services expenses accounted for 23.5 percent of the housing budget locally; nationally, it made up 21.7 percent. The rate of home ownership in Atlanta, at 62 percent, compared to the U.S. average of 64 percent.

Table A. Percent distribution of housing expenditures, United States and Atlanta, 2012-2013

Category

United States

Atlanta

Total housing

100.0

100.0

Shelter

58.6

57.9

Utilities, fuels, and public services

21.7

23.5

Household operations

6.8

7.0

Housekeeping supplies

3.7

3.2

Household furnishings and equipment

9.2

8.5

Note: Columns may not add to 100 due to rounding.

At 17.1 percent of the total budget, transportation was the second largest expenditure category in the Atlanta area, not significantly different than the national average of 17.5 percent. Among the 18 metropolitan areas nationwide, 6 had shares that were significantly below the U.S. average. Detroit and Houston had transportation shares that were measurably above the U.S. average. (See chart 3.)

Of the $8,682 in annual expenditures for transportation in Atlanta, 94.9 percent was spent buying and maintaining private vehicles; this compared to the national average of 94.0 percent. The remaining 5.1 percent of an Atlanta household’s transportation budget was spent on public transit, which includes fares for taxis, buses, trains, and planes; this allocation compared to the 6.0-percent average for the nation. (See table B.) The average number of vehicles per household in Atlanta was 1.7 and the national average was 1.9.

Table B. Percent distribution of transportation expenditures, United States and Atlanta, 2012-2013

Category

United States

Atlanta

Transportation

100.0

100.0

Vehicle purchases (net outlay)

36.0

36.8

Gasoline and motor oil

29.8

34.8

Other vehicle expenses

28.2

23.2

Public transportation

6.0

5.1

Note: Columns may not add to 100 due to rounding.

The portion of an Atlanta consumer unit’s budget spent on food, 12.6 percent, was similar to the 12.9-percent U.S. average. Among the 18 metropolitan areas, 12 had food expenditure shares that were not measurably different from the nationwide average. (See table 3.)

Households in Atlanta spent $3,826, or 60.0 percent, of their food dollars on food at home and the remaining 40.0 percent ($2,548) on food prepared away from home, such as restaurant meals, carry-out, board at school, and catered affairs. In comparison, the typical U.S. household spent 59.8 percent of its food budget on food at home and 40.2 percent on food away from home.

Additional Information

Data contained in this release are from the CE Survey, which is conducted on an ongoing basis by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The CE data in this release were averaged over a two-year period, 2012 and 2013. CE data are available for the nation, the 4 geographic regions of the country, and 18 metropolitan areas. The metropolitan area discussed in this release is Atlanta, Ga., which is comprised of Barrow, Bartow, Butts, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, Dawson, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Haralson, Henry, Newton, Paulding, Pickens, Pike, Rockdale, Spalding, and Walton Counties in Georgia; and Cleburne County in Alabama.

The survey consists of two components, a diary or recordkeeping survey, and an interview survey. The integrated data from the BLS Diary and Interview Surveys provide a complete accounting of consumer expenditures and income, which neither survey component alone is designed to do. Due to changes in the survey sample frame, metropolitan area data in this release are not directly comparable to those prior to 1996.

A consumer unit is defined as members of a household related by blood, marriage, adoption, or other legal arrangement; a single person living alone or sharing a household with others but who is financially independent; or two or more persons living together who share responsibility for at least 2 out of 3 major types of expenses – food, housing, and other expenses. The terms household or consumer unit are used interchangeably for convenience.

CE metropolitan area estimates are not comparative cost of living surveys, as neither the quantity nor the quality of goods and services has been held constant among areas. Differences may result from variations in demographic characteristics such as consumer unit size, age, preferences, income levels, etc. However, expenditure shares, or the percentage of a consumer unit’s budget spent on a particular category, can be used to compare spending patterns across areas. Sample sizes for the metropolitan areas are much smaller than for the nation, so the U.S. estimates and year-to-year changes are more reliable than those for the metropolitan areas. Users should also keep in mind that prices for many goods and services have changed since the survey was conducted.

Expenditure shares for housing and transportation that are higher or lower than the national average, after testing for significance at the 95-percent confidence interval, are also identified in charts 2 and 3 for the 18 metropolitan areas surveyed.

A value that is statistically different from another does not necessarily mean that the difference has economic or practical significance. Statistical significance is concerned with our ability to make confident statements about a universe based on a sample. It is entirely possible that a large difference between two values is not significantly different statistically, while a small difference is, since both the size and heterogeneity of the sample affect the relative error of the data being tested.